Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Fareham and Gosport

Twenty-one dog day cares, boarding kennels and home boarders are listed across Fareham, Gosport, Wickham & Southwick and Bishop's Waltham, and every one of them needs a licence to operate in England, whether it runs from a fixed kennels, a day-care site or a home boarder's own house. This guide sets out what is worth asking about the licence, vaccinations and the stay itself, rather than assuming any of it.

Check the licence, and which council issued it

Twenty of the twenty-one businesses on this page are confirmed against a council register: six by Fareham Borough Council, one by Gosport Borough Council, and fourteen by Winchester City Council, which covers Wickham & Southwick and Bishop's Waltham. Whichever business you are considering, ask which council licensed it, for its licence number, and to see the certificate itself, rather than taking a website's word for it — several businesses on this page state a licence number on their own site (Fareham's Dog Day Care Ltd, CB Canine Care, Just Like Home) that was not opened individually against the register in this research pass.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

Ask the business what vaccinations it requires before a stay or a day, and how long in advance it needs proof. Requirements and timing vary between operators, so there is no single schedule to quote here, and this directory does not set or check one. Ask separately about its policy on kennel cough, since that also varies from one boarder or day care to the next.

Group size and what's on offer

Group sizes vary widely here. Lone Valley Kennels Ltd is licensed for up to 50 dogs at its purpose-built site, Harfields Pet Retreat for up to 68, and Three Oaks Boarding Kennels for up to 78 boarding dogs plus a separate welfare-boarding licence for strays. Among home boarders, licensed capacity is far smaller: Winchester's own register caps most Bishop's Waltham home boarders at two to five dogs at a time, and Daves Pet Care specifically at two. Just Like Home, in Fareham, says it carries out a social-skills assessment before boarding and cannot accept unspayed females or intact males, which is worth asking about if it applies to your dog.

Medication, breed policies and a vet emergency

• Ask how medication is given during a stay, and whether there is an extra charge for it.
• Ask whether the business has any breed policies or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate.
• Ask what happens if your dog needs a vet while in the business's care, and who decides and pays.
• Ask whether the business holds public liability insurance, and ask to see evidence rather than take a website's claim on trust — Just Like Home states it belongs to the Association of Dog Boarders, but that is a membership, not proof of insurance.

None of the businesses listed here publish a vaccination schedule, so put these questions directly to whichever business you are considering. See our council licences guide for the licence detail behind each business.